Paris-based DJ and producer Roodie started producing with his cousin when he was about 12 years old.
"We started messing around with Cubase 5, making remixes of songs we knew and just experimenting with whatever we could come up with," Roodie says. "I was really into the electro and EDM scenes back then. I remember watching Tomorrowland livestreams at home, dreaming of playing on a big stage one day. Later on, I moved to FL Studio, and about a year after I started producing, I began learning how to DJ. My first setup was a pair of CDJ-100s. I used to burn CDs and play for my classmates and friends."
"I don’t think there was one specific moment when things got serious. Music just kept growing with me throughout my teenage years. I never stopped producing, and at some point I realized it wasn’t just something I loved doing, but something I couldn’t imagine my life without. I guess it’s been a long love story that’s only gotten bigger over the years.
Roodie says that it's tricky for him to describe his sound, because he doesn't like putting his music into one genre.
"I’m heavily influenced by house and techno, but also by so many other genres," he says. "I think my sound is a combination of all my influences and everything I pick up and absorb from different kinds of music. In recent years, I’ve been really inspired by the sounds of the late ’90s and early 2000s, but I also love experimenting with futuristic sounds. I like music that has character. Something a little weird, playful, sometimes emotional, but still makes you dance. I guess it’s all those different influences, experiences, and little things I’ve collected over the years, coming together in my own way."
His latest release is the "W/U <333" single, out via Life and Death.
"It’s a bit of a love song," Roodie says. "It’s about memories, things that never really found their ending, and that one last dance you never got to have with someone. I was alone in the studio when I made it, and somehow the whole thing just came together naturally. I recorded all the vocals and harmonies myself, just following what felt right in the moment. I’m not a trained singer. I just sang what I felt, and it worked. I wanted it to feel real and express what I was feeling."
As for gear: "At some point, I moved to Ableton Live, and since then it’s been my main playground. I spend most of my time there, and I really love working with it. When it comes to gear, I love using the Roland TR-909, and the MC-505 is one of my favorites. I’m also a big fan of Elektron gear, and I love using the Juno and the SH-101. The SSL Big Six is also a big part of my studio setup. I’m also a huge fan of sampling. Actually, I think sampling might be one of my favorite things to do when making music. I love taking sounds, textures, or random recordings and turning them into something completely different."
"For DJing, I love playing on CDJ-3000s with a DJM-V10. I think the V10 gives you so many possibilities, and I absolutely love the RMX-1000. It’s probably my favorite piece of DJ gear because it gives me so much freedom to play with the music and control the energy on the dance floor. I just love gear."
Looking ahead, Roodie has plenty planned for the coming months.
"A lot of new music, for sure," he says. "I’ve been spending a lot of time in the studio, and there are quite a few tracks I’m really excited about and can’t wait to share with the world. I’m working on more releases, including my next EP on Life and Death, which is coming out very soon and I’m really excited about. I’m also looking forward to playing more shows around the world and sharing my music with new people. That’s probably my favorite part - making something in the studio and then seeing how it connects with people on the dance floor."
Photo by Life & Death
